Timer



April 26 1927.

. B. U. HILLS TIMER Filed .11111.23` 1922 ,ella

Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

4UNIT ED STATES BURTON U. HILLS, OF CHICAGC, ILLINOIS.

TIMER.

Application filed January 23, 1922. Serial No. 531,177.

My invention belongs to that general class of devices .known as timersor timing devices for internal combustion engines. As is well known,timing devices or timers as they are generally known, are adapted forsuccessively closing an electrical circuit to the several sparkingdevices from a Acommon source and thereby igniting the charges in thecylinders to operate the engine.

My invention has among its objects the production of a device of thekind described that is simple, convenient, compact, durable, eiiicient,reliable and satisfactory for use wherever 'found applicable.

Another object of my `invention is to provide an insulating Ymeans forthe 4interioroil the casing, so arranged that it will lay close againstthe casing and will not be drawn away by the expansion or contraction ofthe insulating material or otherwise damaging the insulation.

Another obj ect of my .invention is to provide lubricating means wherebythe rotor periphery may be lubricated while it is in motion so as toprevent excessive wear between the rotor and the cooperating contactmembers.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown anddescribed will be obvious to those skilled in ,the yart from thedisclosure herein given.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction,arrangement, and com `bination of parts herein shown and described, andmore particularly pointed out in the claims.

In .the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like orcorresponding Fig. 6 isa face ,viewof the rotor and .con-

tact.

Referring to the drawings, in which ,the lpreferred embodiment of myinyention ,is shown, l represents the timer vdriving shaft driven intheusual for any preferred manner having mountedlthereon a rotor `formed offiber or other non-conducting material, pretera-bly made as has beendescribed in my copending application, Serial No. 444,17 1i, filedFebruary 11, 1921. The rotor is preter ably circular in form and ismounted upon a sleeve 3 formed of brass -or any other suitableelectrical conducting material which is in turn secured to the shaft lin any preferred manner so as to be driven thereby.y A cap 4or cover li,enclosing the projecting end of the sleeve 3, is preferably of a lengthtoy engage with the face of the body of the rotor, the extreme edge ofthe cap being preferably flanged so a's to lie against said rotor. Thecap 4 is mounted in position on the shaftand against the rotor,maintaining .the rotor irmly in place by means of a suitable nut 5 Lor`other means mounted on the extremeend of the shaft.

In :the form of device shown, the rotor 2 is circular' in form aspreviously mentioned, the outer periphery having a1 face ofnonconducting material except ata point where the Contact member V6 ispositioned, this contact member consisting preferably of a. sheet-metalplate shaped to the form shown in the drawings and firmly secured to therotor inany suitable manner. rlhe periphery of Lthe member 6 is flushwith the periphery oi' the rotor, ybeing made so by any suitablerprocess to secure a smooth and true face, as by grinding or the like.The peripheral ,portion of the member 6 is so formed that itsextremities are oi"k substantially the same width as the thickness ofthe valve 2; the side portions ot the member 6 being cut away slightlyat these points to lavoid any possible tendency to strike against thecooperating parts. The contact member on the rotor is karranged tocooperate with the desired number of contact points or members 20, asthe rotor is driven. As shown, I` provide a easing 19 of the desiredsize, shape and material, preferably circular in cross-section and whichnormally encloses the 4rotor and prevents the admission of foreignmatter `such as dust, grit, dirt, moisture oi' grease, etc., thereto,thesame being detachably maintained in Vplace in theconstruction shown, vbyits engagement with the body ofthe engine crother supports carrying theshaft l, and the member 26 mounted fonan adjacent `part 27. Member 26 isprovided with a ,protruding part arranged to engage `ina depression atthe yend ,of .the ,cover Vof the vcasing, it beingnnderstood, however,that the particular construction and the method of supporting the samemay be varied as desired. The construction illustrated, however, permitsthe casing which carries the contact members 2O to be partially rotatedor adjusted, there being a bracketI 22 in the particular device showncarried by the casing and adapted to cooperate with a shifting oradjusting rod 23 for the adjusting of the casing. v

Arranged on the casing are the desired number of binding postscomprising screws 7 and 8 held in place by nuts 9, or their equivalents,there being insulating` washers ll between the casing and the screws.Adapted to cooperate with the binding screws 7 and 8, respectively, arebinding nuts 7 and l2, for clamping or otherwise securing the electricalconductor at the binding posts. The number of binding posts depends uponthe particular use for which the device is intended for instance on aninternal combustion engine, I provide one binding post for each sparkplug or other igniting device, the contacts on the spark plugs beingconnected therewith by suitable conducting wires or the equivalent inthe usual manner (not shown). The binding screws extend within thecasing and each are electrically connected with spring members 2lcarrying the contacts or brush members 20. The springs preferably extendin the direction of the rotation of the rotor, as shown by the arrow inFig. 2, and serves the double purpose of maintaining the contact members2O in engagement with the surface of the contact part 6 and with theperiphery of the rotor, and at the same time as electrical conductorsconnecting the members 20 with the binding posts and securing them inplace.

I prefer to provide strips 28 of non-conduct-ing material around theinterior of the shell to further insulate the electrical contact membersfrom the casing. The strips extend circumferentially of the casing, being secured thereto at one end in the construction illustrated by thebinding screws and the nuts 9, the free ends of adjacent stripsoverlying one another, as at 29, so that as the insulation strips or thecasing expand or contract, the overlapping ends of the insulatingmaterial may slide upon each other to compensate for such expansion orcontraction, and not buckle up or fall away from the casing.

There will be very little friction between the contact parts 2O and 6 tocause wear therebetween when the rotor is constructed as described in myapplication referred to, but in order to minimize even this small amountof wear, I have provided lubricating means whereby oil or other suitablelubricating fluid may be supplied to the periphery of the rotor while itis in motion.

-As shown, the binding screw 8, projecting into the interior of thecasing, is axially bored as at l0, as shown in Fig. 4, to form an oilduct therethrough. The binding nut l2 has a hollow cylindrical portion13 extending axially thereof, said cylindrical portion being adapted toreceive a cylindrical casing constituting an oil-receiving chamber lll,.said oil chamber casing being secured therein in any suitable manner asdesired. Preferably it is a drive lit, or held in by friction. The outeredge of said oil chamber casing lli is inwardly flanged as at l5 and hasan oil hole or inlet lo in said flanged end wall, Slidably carried insaid chamber is a valve 16 having one or more guide arms 17 projectinginwardly and maintaining a resilient coiled spring 18 therebetween, saidspring serving to normally maintain the inlet opening l5 closed. Inorder to lubricate the rotor, it is only necessary that the valve 16 ofthe oil chainber be pressed inwardly and the oil applied thereto,whereupon it will flow through the duct l0 and onto the periphery ofsaid rotor. It will be noted that the valved oil chamber is unitary withthe binding post nut, and is extremely compact and convenient to use. Toprevent leakage of the oil down the outside of the screw and along thethreads. I prefer to place a washer lt, as shown, the saine being offelt or any other suitable material. It will be noted that the inner orhead end of the binding post substantially constitutes a spout fromwhich the oil will drop with-out running over the side of the head.

The operation of the device may be briefly described as follows:'Assuming that the timer is applied substantially as shown, the bindingposts being connected with the ignition apparatus and the shaft lgrounded or connected with the source of electrical energy, then as therotor 2 is driven by the shaft, the contact member 6 at its peripheralportion successively contacts with the several contact members Q0, sothat the several circuits through the several binding posts aresuccessively opened and closed. If the casing is partially rotated oradjusted, then obviously, the time of contact between the members 6 and2O is varied, being either' retarded or advanced depending upon theadjustment made. It will be noted that with this construction themembers Q0 are at all times maintained in perfect contact with the faceof the rotating rotor and that as the springs 2l of the contact members2() are substantially tangential to the nished edge or periphery of therotor, the casing may be shifted in either direction wit-hout danger ofthe contacts 2O engaging or ruflling up the face of the rotor or of thecontact member 6. Furthermore, this construction also requires lesspressure to be put on the contact 2O in order to maintain it in placeand there is consequently less wear on the parts.

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As has been more fully described in my copending applicationhereinbefore mentioned, the rotor is preferably impregnated so as to besubstantiallyI water-proof and so that the same does not take up oils orgrease irregularly about the surface, as would bey the case Where aporous body Was employed.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that variousimmaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing fromthe spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement andcombination of parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and 'desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

k1. In an ignition timer, a casing, a rotor within said casing and madeof insulating material having a metallic member in' the peripherythereof adapted to be intermittently engaged by cooperating electricalcontacts carried by said casing, one of said contact members carried bysaid casing having means for lubricating the peripheryof said rotorwhile said rotor is in motion.

2. In an ignition timer, a casing, a rotor of insulating material havinga metallic member on a portion of the periphery thereof, binding postscarried by said casing and insulated therefrom, electrical contactmeinbers carried by said binding posts and adapted to intermittentlyengage said metallic member of the rotor, one of said binding postshaving an oil duct therethrough, and means for lubricating said rotorthrough said duct. l

3. In an ignition timer, a casing, a rotor of insulating material havinga metallic member on a portion of the periphery thereof, binding postscarried by said casing and insulated therefrom, electrical contactmembers carried by said binding posts and adapted to intermittentlyengage said metallic member of the rotor, one of said binding postshaving an oil duct therethrough, means for lubricating said rotorthrough said duct, and means for yieldably maintaining said oil ductnormally closed at the exterior.

4. In an ignition timer, a casing having binding posts thereon andinsulated therefrom, a rotor adapted to rotate within said casing, ametallic member on the periphery of said rotor, electrical contactmembers carried by said binding posts and adapted to cooperate with saidmetallic member of the rotor, and means for lubricating said rotor whileit is in motion, said means comprising an oil chamber carried by one ofsaid binding posts, said last mentioned binding post having a ducttherethrough leading from said oil chamber to the interior of thecasing.

5. In an ignition timer, a casing having binding posts thereon andinsulated therefrom, a rotor adapted to rotate Within said casing, ametallic member on the periphery of said rotor, electrical contactmembers carried by said bindino` posts and adapted to coope ate withsait metallic member of the rotor, and means for lubricating said rotorwhile it is in motion, said means comprising an oil chamber carried byone of said bin-ding posts, said last mentioned binding post having aduct therethrough leading from said oil chamberto the interior of thecasing, and provided with .substantially a spout at the inner endthereof.

6. In an ignition timer, a casing, binding posts thereon and insulatedtherefrom, said binding posts comprising a binding screw secured to thecasing, one of said binding screws having a duct therethrough, and abinding` nut engageable on said screw and having an oil-receivingchamber thereon adapted to communicate with said duct, whereby lubricantmay flow through said chamber and duct to the interior of said casing.

7. In an ignition tim-er, a casing having binding posts carried thereon,and strips of insulating material arranged within said casingcircumferentially thereof, said strips of insulating material havingtheir adjacent ends overlapping so as to automatically compensate forexpansion or contraction of the parts. n

8. In an ignition timer, a casing having binding posts thereon andinsulated therethrough, and insulating strips circumferentially arrangedon the inner wall of said casing, said strips each having one endsecured to said casing and their adjacent ends overlapping so as tocompensate for the eX- pansion or contraction of the parts.

9. In an ignition timer, a casing, a rotor of insulating material havingra metallic member on a portion of the periphery thereof, binding postscarried by said casing, and electrical contact members connected to saidbinding posts and adapted to engage said rotor, one of said bindingposts having an oil Iduct therethrough. f

10. An electrical binding post comprising a tubular screw-threaded shankhaving a head at one end, a nut threaded upon said shank, a second nutthreaded upon said shank and adapted to cooperate with theinst-mentioned nut to connect an electrical terminal to the shank, saidsecond nut having a tubular extension communicating with the passagethrough said tubular shank whereby a lubricant may be introduced intosaid shank, and valve means disposed in said tubular extension.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

BURTON U. HILLS.

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